As Telangana secretariat shifts, gardener who nurtured trees for 20 years feels concerned for them

HYDERABAD: A large number of trees of different species, some of which are decades old, may have to give way for the construction of the new secretariat complex. As some more departments vacated the buildings, the man most unhappy on the premises was Yekula Vandan, gardener in the secretariat. “I am so overcome with emotion. These trees are like children to me. I’ve taken care of them everyday and when they’ve grown so huge, I cannot imagine the prospect of they being cut down. I hope such a thing does not happen,” Vandan said. A few others workers continued with their work of maintaining lawns and gardens on Saturday as they have not been asked to stop. “We know the Secretariat is shifting but we will continue to take care of the trees and gardens, until we are informed that we do not have to,” he said. There are huge tamarind, neem trees, badam (almond) trees and banyan trees which have been there for decades but the rest of the trees are what the gardening staff have planted over the years, including several mango trees planted under the Haritha Haram programme. As the mango plants grew near the ‘D’ block of Secretariat, employees started plucking them to take them home. This happened continuously and regularly, so much the gardening staff. “It was like the trees were being stripped naked and I could not see them that way,” Vandan said. He then hit upon an idea. He got two slippers and hanged them on two trees. The message that was to be conveyed was – a slap with a chappal for anyone who plucks the leaves. The plucking of leaves stopped. According to the gardener, there are not many species of birds in the secretariat except for pigeons. “There are five parrots which come from the neighbouring NTR gardens,” Vandan said. A couple of women workers who have been engaged in the gardening work for several years said they had done whatever was required to take care of the plants. “It pains to know that these trees that we so much care of may not be there anymore,” one of them said.

There are at least 150 big sized fully grown trees on the secretariat premises. These shade-giving trees make the place cooler. “We maintain the gardens and lawns in the secretariat. In so far as the future of the big trees is concerned, it is for the forest department to decide,” HMDA official S Someshwara Rao from the urban forestry wing told TOI. On Saturday, some more departments moved from the secretariat, including from the Samatha block where the CMO is located. Endowments minister Indrakaran Reddy’s office also shifted from the ‘D’ block to the BRK Bhavan.